


Able-Bodied Minions

by Amedia



Category: Return to Oz (1985), The Wizard of Oz & Related Fandoms, Tin Man
Genre: Gen, Magic, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 14:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18639547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amedia/pseuds/Amedia
Summary: Queen Lavender Eyes has a question for Witch-Princess Mombi. Sequel toThe Key"Inspired by erinm_4600's response to my request for ficlet prompts. More details after the ficlet.Originally published on Dreamwidth/LiveJournal on 4-25-19.





	Able-Bodied Minions

The last customer of the day strode regally up to the fortune-telling machine in which Madame Mombi, Witch-Princess of Historic Oz, was encased. Guards placed themselves carefully around the arcade, and a young dark-skinned woman with dreadlocks carrying a briefcase stayed back by the door. "Lavender Eyes!" Mombi exclaimed. "You're the last person I'd expect to see. Well ... the second-to-last. Last would be my ex-husband. _Reasonably_ certain he's never coming back."

"I don't think I want to know what happened to your ex-husband," said the queen, sounding as if she couldn't decide whether to be horrified or amused. 

"Well ... just let me know if you ever need to get rid of Ahamo, dear. We girls must stick together," Mombi said, lifting a friendly eyebrow.

"I didn't come here for girl talk," said the queen, regaining her composure. "I have an administrative conundrum that would benefit from your special expertise."

"That's very flattering," said Mombi. "But if you're going to pose a question, you have to put in a coin."

The queen beckoned to her assistant, who came shyly forward, put a coin in the machine, and scurried back again.

"All right, go on," said Mombi. 

"The Sorceress whom we recently defeated had recruited a number of able-bodied men to serve as her soldiers," said Lavender Eyes. "Most of them have seen the error of their ways and have to returned to ordinary life. There are a few, however, who appear recalcitrant. Despite our generosity in offering pardons, retraining, and assistance in finding new jobs, some of them would prefer to remain, well ..." her voice trailed off.

"Dark minions?" Mombi suggested.

"Yes," the queen said.

"Ah, I do have some experience in disposing of minions who have served their purpose." 

The queen looked aghast. "I was hoping for a non-violent solution," she said.

"And you call yourself a queen?" Mombi asked scornfully. "Squeamish rulers have short reigns." She mused for a moment. "When you say 'able-bodied' ... do you have any photos, perchance?" The queen beckoned to her assistant again, who pulled out a folder and held up the pictures for Mombi to look at one at a time. "My," the witch-princess said. "I wouldn't kick any of them out of bed for eating crackers, I must say."

The queen said nothing. The assistant, still standing by with the folder, stifled a giggle. 

"I have a task for which they are eminently well suited. Bring them to me at your earliest convenience. But first ... " she turned her eyes toward the assistant. "I have some requirements. Take down this list of costumes they need to wear. And bring a clean wheelbarrow. You'll need it."

*****

The assistant returned the next day with the minions in tow, divided into several groups of three or four each. One of the groups wore blue jeans, boots, and large hats; another group wore form-fitting costumes that appeared to represent spirits of the underworld; another was dressed in skimpy but recognizable fire-fighting gear. Other outfits were more baffling, but all definitely revealed the able-bodied minions' able-bodiedness.

Mombi directed the queen's assistant to have the men stand in particular poses within each group. The men obeyed her meekly, apparently terrified by Mombi's reputation. Once everyone was in place and the assistant had stepped back, Mombi glared at all of them. "You're a fine-looking lot," she said. "But I'm afraid it's CURTAINS for all of you!"

The assistant gasped. There was a flash of light, a puff of smoke--and the men were gone. In their place were stacks and stacks of fabric, each stack bearing the image of a costumed group. The assistant began shakily loading the fabric into the wheelbarrow. 

"Send them to a fabric and craft store on the Otherside," Mombi said, sounding bored. "They'll fetch a pretty penny."

The assistant, who was beginning to calm down, examined the stacks carefully. "Yes, Witch-Princess," she said. "But ... could I ... I mean, may I ..."

"Three yards of each," Mombi said. "Enjoy. And let me know if you ever get tired of working for the queen. I could use a minion myself."

"Thank you, Witch-Princess," the assistant said with a smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

**Author's Note:**

>  **Author's note** : erinm_4600's request was: _whichever fandom grabs you - prompt: the curtains. And, by "the curtains", I mean your curtains collection from MWC._ I should explain that my MW*C roommate brings highly decorative curtains every year to adorn our room, and I generally post pictures of them as part of my convention reports. 
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> Here are the curtains in question!
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